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7 Powerful People Who Didn’t go to University

Not getting the GCSE or A-level grades you were expecting can be soul-destroying, but it really isn’t the end of the world - just ask these seven movers and shakers who never quite made the grade but still managed to hit the heights.

Simon Cowell

The world-famous music and TV talent show mogul left school with just two O-levels (latter day GCSEs) in English Language and Literature. After drifting through several jobs he landed one working in the mailroom at record company EMI, eventually working his way up not only to multi-millionaire and celebrity status but into the ranks of ‘The World’s 50 Most Influential Figures’, reaching number 41 in 2010.

Dame Anita Roddick

The late-founder of The Body Shop originally trained as a teacher but never took up the profession, preferring instead to travel around the world. With her husband travelling the Americas in 1976, she set up The Body Shop to make an income for herself and her two daughters - her only bit of business acumen being her husband’s advice to take sales of £300-a-week.

30 years later and with a 77 million-strong worldwide customer base, The Body Shop was sold to L’Oreal in 2006 for £652 million.

If beauty, health and wellbeing are where your interests lie, then read more about the vocational Beauty Therapy Courses that we have on offer here at The Training Room today.

Heston Blumenthal

The Michelin-starred celebrity chef left school with six O-levels - failing science of all things - and cites the distractions of ‘going out with the lads, beer and girls’ as the reason he never performed better.

Undeterred, the self-taught chef worked his way through countless kitchens and now owns three Michelin-starred restaurants across the UK and appears in several of his own, off-the-wall cookery shows.

Roman Abramovich

The Russian steel-magnate came to prominence in the UK after he bought Chelsea Football Club and paved the way for countless future foreign investments in football clubs. His estimated £9 billion fortune makes him Russia’s fifth wealthiest person and the 50th richest in the world and his empire-building started from humble beginnings as after dropping out of college he worked as a street-trader, mechanic and sold imported rubber ducks from his Moscow flat.

Dr. Mark Lythgoe

Now a renowned neurophysiologist and presenter of several television and radio documentaries, Dr. Lythgoe’s medical career got off to an inauspicious start when his A-level results came back with three F grades and an E in physics. With the route to university blocked, his mother persuaded him to apply for a three-year diploma from the Salford College of Technology. What followed was a diploma in nuclear medicine, an MSc in behavioural biology, PhD in biophysics and life as leading name in his field.

Lord Alan Sugar

Never one to underplay how he’s a self-made man who worked his way up from humble beginnings, Lord Sugar wasn’t interested in academic study and left school at 16 to sell car aerials and electricals from a van.

He set up Amstrad just three years later by retailing electrical devices and home computers made up of cheap components and so his empire-building began. At its peak, Amstrad had a stock market valuation of some £1.2 billion.

Richard Branson

Another self-made billionaire entrepreneur, Branson suffered with severe dyslexia and left school at 15 with just three O-levels. By the age of 20 he had started up his Virgin business as a mail-order record retailer and so began a £2.5 billion empire that would eventually encompass everything from mobile phones, to festivals, to trans-Atlantic and even space travel.
Branson is arguably the best example ever that even if you don’t make the grade, you can still look beyond the sky as your limit.

Find out more about our student’s experiences here:

Friendly & informative .Brilliant & helpful

The lady I spoke to molly bowyer was very informative friendly and understanding she wasn't pushy at all and gave me a lot of opportunity to think things over she contacted me back on more than one occasion to answer any questions I had .

Katy Nunn

518/09/17

Great team of advisors

I really enjoyed talking to my advisor, she was very helpful in helping understand to whole process. I will definitely recommend them !

518/09/17

Great

Kate Kanu

518/09/17

10/10

My personal experience with the training room so far has been great as the staff members i have worked with have answered all my questions and have never left me unsure about anything.

518/09/17

Great start!

Always happy and friendly, very well informed, answered all my questions and queries perfectly! Very excited to be starting this course! 😊

506/09/17

Spectacular

corresponded well and was very friendly, welcoming and patient

Courtney Louise Lawrence

524/08/17

Excellent service since the first enquiry about the course untill the booking, Chris was absolutely STAR with following my case and given me all information I needed!

Would recommend The Training Room

Very friendly customer service nothing was too much trouble, BUT ..... That Alison *Potentially litgeous comment removed by Feefo* was fantastic, with her confidence in me (a stranger) i signewd up and cant wait to Start.

Samantha Collis

519/07/17

Excellent Services

The members of staff who I have spoken too, are lovely and very helpful. So far my experience with The Training Room has been great. I am very excited in starting the course in August and hope to fulfil my dream job with The Training Rooms help in the near distant future.

Rebecca Louise Wealthall

508/08/17

The Training room have been very helpful, always polite and cheerful. especially Megan

Catherine Gettins

508/08/17

excellent people to talk with and quick response to calls.

Naorain Ghafoor

530/07/17

The training room was very friendly and helpful they let me think about the course in January that am going to and ring me back the next day to see what I wanted to do. This is why I am rating them an excellent service.

Alicia Christina Witter

512/07/17

Magical, positive experience

I had a very pleasant, informative conversation with Abigail Cooper when enquiringly about the Beauty Course.
Then when it came to registering on the course, again she was wonderful.

Caroline Logan

511/07/17

Good customer service

Alina Florentina Geoglovan

511/07/17

I would only change the fact that they don't get in contact with you like they say I'd change the star to 3 if I could.

511/07/17

Very helpful, thorough and welcoming.

Kelly Hopkins

511/07/17

Very kind and quick service with application forms.

Very kind and polite service and I am happy to recommend to everyone this courses!

511/07/17

Great team! Very helpful, supportive.
Special Thank you to Denica! She was very kind and helpful!
I'm looking forward to start my Beauty Therapy course on Thursday!
Very excited!!!